Other Natural Wood
For Bioactive Terrariums & Live Vivariums
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About Our Wood Supplies & Decor:
What Sets Our Decor Apart
Bioactive terrariums are our specialty, and we've been doing this since 2009. We know our customers care for some of the most sensitive flora & fauna in the world, and we've got a pile of policies in place to ensure our wood lives up to it's reputation for quality. Of course the decor on this page is totally chemical free, but that's a pretty big understatement. To start, we don't allow walk-in business at our facility, so the only people who physically handle our wood decor are trained staff. A sign at our shop's entrance forbids the use of aerosols, perfumes, and cleaning sprays while disallowing animals, plants, and supplies being brought into the shop by visitors. We shape pieces in our wood shop, grade everything by hand, carefully select pieces based on customer requests, and specially arrange wood assortments based on enclosure size. (In our Background Kits) To make a long story short, we go way above the norm when it comes to our wood decor, and we're confident you'll love what we ship! 
Wood, Decor, and Hardscape Design
There's a whole lot to consider when designing a hardscape, but we've got all the wood decor and other tools to help you get the job done right. Every enclosure is different, and every designer has totally different goals. While some folks might prefer a quick & simple Heavy Duty style background, others might prefer a full blown Custom Background. In any case, we recommend checking out the links below for a bunch of information, inspiration, and advice. We're happy to help with any style you can think of, so if you've got any questions don't hesitate to reach out!
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Cleaning Wood Decor Before Use:
Basic Terrarium Wood Cleaning Info
As noted in our "About Our Decor" info panel, our wood decor is absolutely top-notch in terms of quality & cleanliness. We endeavor to go above and beyond, and offer the absolute best quality wood decor in the USA. That being said, we do recommend cleaning and/or disinfecting wood decor before adding them to your terrarium as an added precaution. Scrubbing and washing wood decor with a brush and water is a good bet for natural decor which can often arrive a bit dusty from storage. For disinfection of small and medium sized decor, boiling them can be a good and simple bet, and is typically the option we use most often in house. When necessary, we'll boil the top half of a piece first, then flip the wood to boil the bottom half later in a very large pot. For larger/thicker pieces, freezing/heating has worked well for peace of mind, too. We'd recommend googling "how to disinfect terrarium woodext. link" for more advice on that end, as baking wood decor can be a dangerous procedure if not done carefully. If your wood decor will be adhered in place using silicone and your method of cleaning moistened the wood decor considerably, we'd recommend leaving it out to dry completely before proceeding.
The boiling/cleaning/sanitizing procedures outlined above should be attempted by adults only, or under close adult supervision.
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Bamboo Poles
Natural, dried bamboo
NEHERP Staff Description:
We have dried bamboo available in a variety of useful lengths ranging from 8" to 24", depending on your enclosure's size. These natural products arrive in unsealed packages, and we recommend thoroughly washing each piece before use.
Curly Willow Branches
Flexible decorative branches
NEHERP Staff Description
The flexible branches of Curly Willow can be incorporated into custom background design, or used alone as a decor item. Sold in 3' tall bunches of 4-5 branches. If kept in a dry habitat, these will harden & become more rigid as they dry. In very humid enclosures, these will break down naturally over time. While all of the other wood decor we carry is shipped to us in sealed containers, Curly Willow Branches are shipped via freight in wrapped (not 100% sealed) bundles. With that in mind, we strongly recommend washing these thoroughly before use.
Glowing Mushroom Kit
A kit to inoculate wood decor with live glowing mushrooms
Manufacturer Description:
A Glow-in-the-dark Mushroom Kit has many natural functions and is not only cool but plays a very important role in your terrarium's micro-climate by releasing humidity and purifying the environment. Each kit includes everything needed (except the log!) to grow your own Panellus stipticus mushrooms. You also get a wonderful booklet that tells you more about the science behind bioluminescence, its lore, other species, and its place in nature. Enough spores are included to inoculate a 6-12in piece of wood, 2-4in in diameter. After inoculating wood decor, it will take approximately 2-3 months before the log will start growing mushrooms, but it will continue to grow mushrooms occasionally for 2-3 years. Instructions included.
NEHERP Staff Description:
This is a newer product which has been carried after customer request. Please let us know what you think of it! From what we're told, we'd recommend Ghostwood, Malaysian Driftwood, or even Curly Vines for this purpose, and using moist/wet established wood is best. It may be worth waiting a few months and adding this once an enclosure is well established. Cork is dense enough that it takes forever to break down, and may not be the best fit.
Jungle Roots
For Aquariums, Paludariums, and Terrariums
NEHERP Staff Description
This new type of Mangrove-like wood decor is dramatic in its appearance, and suitable for use above or below water in terrariums, paluadriums, and aquariums. These are new to us, but we expect them to become more of a mainstay in the hobby over time due to their versatility. Like Ghostwood and Cork, epiphytic plants seem to have no problem gripping to this wood's surface, and growing-in nicely over time. To ensure we're able to provide an awesome experience, we grade and shape our Jungle Roots in-house. Grade C offers just 1-2 lateral branches, and will be comparatively simple or more skinny in appearance. When available, Grade B wood offers 3-5+ laterals and higher levels of detail overall. Grade A pieces are suitable for use as focal points in custom background design, with plenty of laterals & a more dramatic structure overall. (Grade A is pictured) Unlike traditional Mangrove Roots and similar wood decor on the market, these are sustainably harvested in Sri Lanka. This is our new favorite choice of wood decor for Paludariums, but it's equally workable in a wide variety of environments!
Under-Water Use (Paludariums/Aquariums)
This is considered a low tannin type of wood decor. For best results we recommend allowing these to pre-soak in water for 1-2 days before introducing them to an aquarium or paludarium environment. After the soak procedure, Jungle Roots should not significantly discolor water.
Jungle Vine: Curly
Rigid all-natural jungle vines
Jungle Vines are ideal for being used loose in an enclosure, or for integration into one of our Custom Background Kits. These offer totally natural climbing spots for arboreal animals while add to the realistic aesthetic of a live vivarium enclosure. Epiphytic plants will readily grow & climb on these in humid/moist environments, and are an awesome choice for plants like Tillandsia, Moss Slurry, and many vining species. Jungle Vines are available in two lengths, depending on your specific enclosure's requirements. A single vine's diameter can range from around 3/4in to 1.25in across it's length (on average), and every piece is unique. Jungle Vine availability can be spotty due to import difficulties & delays, so pick some up while they are available!
Jungle Vine: Twisted Liana
An Unusual South American dried vine
These tropical rigid twisted vines have been super-popular in our showroom over the past few years. These are thicker, more detailed, and more rugged looking than the typical "curly vine" (above) we've been offering for years, and the difference is easy to spot in person. We've finally been able to secure enough of them to offer some on the website for the first time since 2014! These awesome liana vines are heat treated at NEHERP, and work wonders to provide a realistic tropical look to vivariums. At the shop, we've come to use these an awful lot with Crested Geckos, Gargoyle Geckos, and other arboreal species which love to climb. Epiphytic plants will grip to these vines easily over time, and they tend to get relatively dark once saturated. Available in limited quantities for a limited time only, due to limited imports each year. Please understand that there is a ton of variability with this style of natural vine in particular.
Jungle Vine: Wavy Liana (Thick)
An ultra-rare South American dried vine
These highly sought-after vines are available for a limited time, and in limited quantities only. Imported only a couple times per year, our wavy liana vines are heat treated right here at NEHERP for the absolute highest quality wood available. These vines are rigid, and range in thickness from 1.75-3in across. (Thinner versions available below) Live creeping plants will grow onto these vines very easily, and they can sometimes also hold little patches of water if oriented correctly. Like our Ghostwood, wavy liana vines become darker once saturated into a dark mahogany brown.
Jungle Vine: Wavy Liana (Thin)
A NEHERP exclusive rigid natural vine
These all-natural NEHERP-Exclusive vines are carefully milled in-house, and allow designers to add a unique focal point in their enclosures. These are heat treated here at NEHERP, and are available in limited quantities throughout the year. They are rigid, darken in color once saturated, and range in thickness from about 1-1.6in across. (Thicker versions available above) Live creeping plants will grow onto these vines easily, and the unique aesthetic is a tough one to beat!
Manzanita Branches
Extremely detailed & rigid wood, suitable for a wide variety of habitats
Picture representative of 13-24in pieces. See description for details.
NEHERP Staff Description:
Raw, light, extremely intricate Manzanita wood. We don't sell the "solid line/log" Manzanita, only the very detailed "branchy" type (shown above) that looks great in a wide variety of conditions. Manzanita is suitable for both dry & humid habitats. Mounting these pointing downward in a custom background yields an amazing "root system" look. We guarantee you'll love the selection!
Sizing/Grading Note:
We now grade & hand-cut our Manzanita Branches in-house to provide the highest quality product possible. The smaller 6-9in piece will have a smaller overall diameter than the photo above. We find this size perfect for dwarf species, small terrariums, accent decor, and more. The photos are an accurate representation of what you'll receive for pieces ranging from 13-24in. The 25-28in size is typically even more detailed, however they aren't available to us as often as we'd like!
Tree Fern Panels
Great for backgrounds, plant mounts, and more!
NEHERP Staff Description:
Tree Fern Panels have been used to mount orchids & other epiphytic plants for decades. In a horticultural setting, plants are typically mounted to the boards, and the boards are hung for display. In a terrarium, tree fern panels can be affixed to the back or side panels of the enclosure to act as a 3-dimensional mounting point for plants. In custom background design, these Tree Fern Slabs can be broken up to fit into gaps and spaces left between other pieces of wood decor, to ensure epiphytic plants have the absolute highest chances of success. These are sustainably harvested from New Zealand, and the color will turn significantly darker once moistened.
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Related Pages:
All Wood Decor
Accents & Pods
Cork
Ghostwood
Other Wood
Related: Rocks
Background Kits: Custom
Background Kits: Heavy Duty
Background Supplies
